I’ll admit, when I’m at the end of what feels like an awesome, spot-on day of facilitation, nothing beats a spontaneous round of applause.

Last week, Sarah, Cara and I spent the day with the board of the Virginia Oral Health Coalition, a relatively new nonprofit dedicated to providing access to dental and oral health to all Virginians.

Sarah and I spent a chunk of time with VHOC’s executive director and board president clarifying their desired outcomes. With their help, we mapped out an organized, action-oriented agenda in advance of our broader meeting. Everyone came ready to play, and to have meaningful conversations about how the board could best support the organization’s mission.

We left them with a six-month game plan focused on their internal operations, their upcoming legislative agenda and their commitment to initiating a long-term development strategy.

As we wrapped up, the board gave us a standing ovation. And before we could even drop our thank you notes into the mail, a board member sent us a thank you note of her own.

All of which is evidence for us that preparation, alignment and readiness are among the most important elements of our work.